Sauber slams tyre war

"For us, this fight between two manufacturers continues to present a problem," said Sauber. "The top teams are using roughly two thirds of their testing for tyre development, and our resources simply do not allow us to keep up with that.

"Because the developments have reached such extreme levels, it has become incredibly difficult to select the right tyres and to make optimum use of them during a race weekend. Track temperatures rising or falling by just a few degrees can make all your plans go awry."

Sauber also pointed out that even the wealthier teams are not immune to the problem. "Last weekend, McLaren-Mercedes became a victim of this," he said. "So this can even happen to the big teams. The influence of tyres on the results has simply become too strong nowadays."

Ironically Sauber was full of praise for the Bridgestone tyre Giancarlo Fisichella used to set the eighth best qualifying time in Hungary. "Last weekend we were able to use a new tyre specification for the first time, which represents a clear step forward with regard to first lap performance," he said. "That's why Giancarlo's eighth place in qualifying was the best he's achieved in the season so far. I'd like to pay a big compliment to Bridgestone in this regard."